School for Deaf students bring 'pride' to national competition

Friday

Apr 24, 2009 at 12:01 AMApr 24, 2009 at 2:59 AM

Dozens of fellow students, teachers and parents gathered at the top of the stairs in front of the New York State School for the Deaf on Thursday, smiling widely, signing excitedly and looking impatiently at the double doors of the school.

Cassaundra Baber

Dozens of fellow students, teachers and parents gathered at the top of the stairs in front of the New York State School for the Deaf on Thursday, smiling widely, signing excitedly and looking impatiently at the double doors of the school.

A red carpet lay at the bottom of the stairs.

Suddenly, the students erupted into clapping, hooting and hollering as five of their peers, dressed in matching white polo shirts, moved through the pathway their fellow students created -- suitcases rolling behind them.

The bystanders high-fived and embraced the students preparing to board a small, yellow school bus that would take them to the National Academic Bowl Competition through Tuesday. They will compete against 16 other academic teams made up of deaf students from around the country.

The team is able to compete for the national title because of their win against 15 other teams for the regional title March 26.

It was a royal sending off, much-deserved for the students whose preparation over the past year included hours of practicing - many days as early as 6:30 a.m., said speech therapist Jeri Bartscherer.

“Pride,” she said, moving her thumb from her navel to chest - the American Sign Language interpretation for the spoken word. “That's the best way to describe how we feel right now. They worked long and hard with morning practices before breakfast while still doing well in all classes and participating in sports and bell choir.”

The competing students' pride was veiled by nerves as they sat on the school bus that would bring them to Syracuse Hancock International Airport.

“It's surreal,” said and signed Apryl Openchain, one of the team members. “It's hitting me all at once.”

The remaining teammates shared Openchain's feelings, marking in some ways their bond as a team - the same bond that allowed them to reach their current level of competition, they said.

“Our bond helped us here. We helped each other,” signed Kaitlyn Schwabrow.

It's that bond, they hope, that will help them earn the national title.

“As a team, we're focused on our goals not as individuals but as a team,” Openchain said.

That bond paired with the group's superior skill level has helped them reach their place in the competition, said the team's coach Roman Kazragis, who has been coaching teams for the bowl for seven years.

And though seeing his team win the national title would be exhilarating, Kazragis believes his team already has sent a message to the community about the capabilities of those who are hard of hearing.